Spring-tire.



A. A. FIRESTONE.

I SPRING TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 18. me.

Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

II/"IIWIII,

ADRIAN A. FIEESTONE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SPRING-TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

Application filed October 18, 1916. Serial No. 126,257.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADRIAN A. Fmnsronn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Spring-Tires, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and c5:- act description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in spring vehicle tiresof the sort which include an endless wire coil. The obj ect of theinvention is to so construct such a tire and so mount it upon a wheelthat the tire will be more durable and uniformly resilient.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of partsshown in the drawing, hereinafter described and definitely set forth inthe appended claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a wheelequipped with this invention; Fig. 2 is a radial section of such a tire;Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the tire supporting blocks.

Referring to the parts by reference characters, 10 represents an endlessspring coil or coil spring annulus. The ends of a spring coil may beconnected together to form such an annulus by substantially the samemeans which are shown and described for that purpose in my priorapplication Serial hlo. 45,119; except that the connectors 12 whlch arecast into the 'coil near its ends do not come to the ends, but are setback several convolutions from said ends. Preferably one end of the coilhas, as in the construction shown, four convolutions outside of theconnector while the other end has five convolutions outside of theconnector. This variation is for the purpose of coming as near as may beto making the coil annulus equally resilient at all points. In theconstruction shown in said prior application there were about eightconvolutions more or less, four in each end of the spring rigidlyembracing the connector, and these eight, more or less, adjacentconvolutions had little or no resilient qualities. In the constructionshown, however, in the drawing of this application there are only threeconvolutions which are individually rendered non-resilient by eachembraced connector, but these three convolutions are resiliently relatedto adjacent convolutions so that they may move circumferentially as aunit toward and away from the same when the wheel is in service. Like-The wheel is represented by 14, and it is equipped with a metal fellyband 15 which preferably should have a rather smooth outer periphery.

A. series of coilsupporting blocks which are best made of wood 16 restupon the eX- ternal peripheral surface of said felly band, and aresuitably spaced apart. It is with these blocks, and not with the wheelthat the inner periphery of the coiled annulus engages. Tn putting thiscoil spring annulus on the block encircled wheel, said annulus isstretched somewhat in diameter. fore, because of its tendency to returnto its normal condition it presses the blocks with considerable forceagainst the periphery of the wheel; and this results in the partialembedment of the convolutions into the outer surface of said woodblocks. This is a good practical way of producing what is certainlydesirable and is perhaps a necessary result, namely, that the blocks donot have any creeping movement with respect to the convolutions withwhich they severally engage. This grip of the coil spring annulus shouldnot, however, be so great as to prevent the circumferential creeping ofthe blocks upon the wheel under the conditions hereinafter set forth,and as tending to insure this desired movement, said wood blocks arepreferably soaked in oil.

There- To the ends of each of these blocks, thin which rest upon theblocks and the adjacent convolutio ns. In the construction shown theseblocks are of such length that three convolutions will rest upon each,and these platesl'? will go between the end convolutions of thisincluded group and the two convolutions adjacent the ends of said group.

20 represents tread plates. These are preferably made of metal, and eachis provided with two inwardly projecting arms 21 adapted to go betweentwo convolutions and these arms are so spaced apart that several(preferably three) convolutions will go between or be included by them.On the inner end of each of these arms is a finger 22 which goes in orunder the adjacent non-included convolution. These tread plates areprefthey may be made of any other suitablematerial. They may be held inrecessed outer facings of the tread plates by means of transverse rivets26.

There is secured to each side of the wheel felly a plate 30 whichextends outward by the side of the wood blocks and the coil springannulus, and the tread plates. These plates 30 actto exclude dirt andalso to prevent any considerable lateral displacement of any of theseparts with respect to one another or to the wheel; and these plates 30should be constructed to withstand the strains to which they willthereby be subjected.

When a wheel is equipped with a tire con structed as above described,and is put into service, the action of the coil spring annulus will besubstantially as follows, to wit: As each tread block comes in contactwith the road surface it becomes subject to a stress which beingtransmitted through the included convolutions to the associatedsupporting block, tends to move that block circumferentially and does inmost cases so move it.

The creeping movement of each wooden block which is associated with thetread block that is in contact with the road surface will not move farwith respect to the adjacent blocks, because such relative movement isopposed by the adjacent convolutions. But thismovement may be and willbe suflicient to produce a satisfactory degree of resilience and toabsorb to a sufficient degree such shocks as would otherwise betransmitted to the vehicle body or chassis frame.

I-Tavingdescribed my invention, I claim 1. The combination with a Wheelhaving an encircling row of spaced blocks whicn are slidable on theouter periphery of said wheel, and a coil spring annulus which embracesthe block-encircled wheel and bears against the outer surfaces of saidblocks and holds said blocks tightly against the periphery of saidwheel.

52. The combination with a wheel having an encircling row of spacedoilsoaked wood blocks which are slidable on the outer periphery of saidwheel, and a coil spring annulus which embraces the block-encircledwheel and bears against the outer surfaces of said blocks and holds saidblocks tightly against the periphery of said wheel.

3. The combination with a Wheel having .an encircling row of wood blockswhich are slidable on the outer periphery of said wheel, and a coilspring annulus which embraces the block-encircled wheel and bearsagainst the outer surfaces of said blocks and holds said blocks tightlyagainst the periphery of said wheel, the convolutions of said annulusbeing partly embedded in the outer surfaces of said wood blocks.

The combination with a wheel having an encircling row of spaced blockswhich are slidable on the outer periphery of said wheel, and a coilspring annulus which embraces the block-encircled wheel and bearsagainst the outer surfaces of said blocks-and holds said blocks tightlyagainst the periphery of said wheel, each of said blocks being providedat its ends with outwardly projecting metal flanges which include agroup of convolutions and project between the end convolutions of saidgroup and the convolutions next adjacent thereto.

5. The combination of a wheel, a coil spring annulus mounted thereon,and a series of metal tread plates each having a recessed outer surfacefor the reception of a tread block and each having two inwardlyprojecting arms which include'a group of convolu'tions and pass betweenthe end convo'lutions of that group and the convolutions next adjacentthereto, which arms have circumferentially projecting fingers which lieinside of adjacent convolutions.

(3. The combination of a wheel, a coil spring annulus mounted thereon,and a series of metal tread plates each having a recessed outer surfacefor the reception of a tread block and each having two inwardlyprojecting arms which include a group of convolutions and pass betweenthe end convolutions of that group and the convolutions next'adjacentthereto which arms have eircumferentially projecting fingers which lieinside of adjacent convolutions, and there being ,a plurality of freeconvolutions intermediate of each group of convolutions included by armsof the tread plates.

7. The combination of a wheel having an encircling row of spaced blockswhich are slidable upon the outer periphery of said wheel, a coiledspring annulus which embraces the block-encireled wheel and bearsagainst the outer surfaces of said blocks and holds said blocks tightlyagainst the ,perip'hery of said wheel, each of said blocks beingprovided at its ends with outwardly projecting metal flanges whichinclude a group of convolutions and project between the end convolutionsof said group and the convolutions next adjacent thereto, a series ofmetal tread plates, each having two inwardly projecting arms whichinclude the same group of convolutions that arcincluded between themetal flanges on one of said blocks, which arms pass between the endconvolutions of the included group and the next convolutions adjacentthereto and have fingers which project inside of adjacent convolutionsand there being a plurality of free convolutions intermediate of eachgroup of convolutions included by arms of the tread plate and flanges ofthe blocks.

8. A spring tire for vehicle Wheels which includes a coil spring annulusthat contains connectors, each of which is tightly fitted within severalof the convolutions of said coil spring annulus, and a bolt whichconnects said connectors together,there being a plurality ofconvolutions between those convolutions within which said connectors arefitted.

9. A spring tire for vehicle wheels which includes a coil spring annulusthat contains connectors, each of which is tightly fitted within severalof the convolutions of said coil spring annulus, and a bolt whichconnects said connectors together,-there being a plurality ofconvolutions between those convolutions within which said connectors arefitted, and'a plurality of tread plates each having two arms whichinclude a group of convolutions and go between the end convolutions ofthe included group and the next adjacent convolutions, and each of saidarms having a laterally extended finger which projects inside aconvolution, two of said tread plates being severally so located thattheir arms include the groups of convolutions in which the twoconnectors are fitted, and one of said tread plates being located sothat its arms include some but not all of the convolutions between thegroups in which connectors are fitted, whereby there will benon-included convolutions between the last mentioned tread plate andthose two tread plates which include the groups of convolutions whichcontain connectors.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo wit- HGSSGS.

ADRIAN A. FIRESTONE. lVitnesses:

E. B. GILOHRIST, E. L. THURs'roN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Gommissioner of Patentsv Washington, D. 0.

